You know what BLM solo leveling (ok, more like duoing) is like? Its like leveling a job in WoW but the difference? I get to stay in one camp and not run around foaming at the mouth trying to find the other mob I need to kill for the x requirement or drop. The horrible thing is, in WoW I hardly paid attention to numbers. They were always conveniently hidden behind my chat box never to really make an appearance. In FFXI? I practically get hyper competitive when Orophen practically lands two unresisted Freezes in a row on double ice weather. BACK TO BACK.

… You don’t even want to know how ridiculously competitive I can be with my own boyfriend. Others have seen it and have seen just how blood thirsty I could be in order to dole out the highest amount of damage or purposefully take as much hate as possible just so I can laugh at him. <.<;

But in all seriousness, I have been kind of flustered as to how to handle my BLM macros. I currently have two books set; one is for leveling with my offense line changing depending on the camp/situation and another book is set for… everyday occurrences. I don’t even want to say what that second book looks like because its… quite cumbersome and ugly.

Its strange to be so confused about how to best handle my BLM macros. For BLU, BRD, and WHM… my books for those jobs are actually very nice, compact and allow for me to best do my job as I see fit. For BLM… I don’t even know where to begin with it! I’ve changed things around so frequently, its actually mind numbing to think of how to rearrange it to be better and more intuitive. Even now my head hurts trying to hammer out something that will work for me and not have me be so flustered as to where the hell my macros are.

Other gaming stuff? I am totally addicted to Pictobits. Sadly, you will need a DSi in order to play this little gem but it is quite fun if you have it and the points to burn. Basically its a puzzle game that forces you to think in advance and really plan out what you are going to do… fast. There are little blocks called bits that you can pick up with your stylus that you can then place anywhere you want to, but the object is to connect them with the larger colored blocks falling from above. As you clear the blocks, the clears fly up to the top window to reveal the hidden picture from retro Nintendo games! Its a lot of fun in short bursts, but I’ve sat and played it for a long time trying to get a higher score, lower my clear times, or get higher chains. Even the music is really cool and  even better? You can listen to the music (after you bought it with coins you won from clearing stages) with your DSi closed! Cheap puzzle game ($5) + Retro Nintendo = One Happy Girl. If they made this game into a multiplayer, I would totally pay the higher price! Sadly its only a single player but its still worth the 500 pts I spent on the game.

I was about to rant and rave about my expectations on other players in end game since this is my third time rewriting this entry, but… then I figured, maybe they are too high. Maybe it is too much to expect a panel of 4 – 5 leaders to actually take their own rules seriously and take care of the problematic people whom they themselves are aware about, to think that refreshing a single BLM is not too much trouble, that BLMs and anyone who has MP should be subbing /SCH so that the RDM doesn’t have to Refresh them, that WHMs should be meleeing in Dynamis, that it IS ok to dual box in Dynamis despite rules stating otherwise, and that people shouldn’t be getting hurt at all in Dynamis because the RDM doesn’t want to be burdened with having to always Cure people.

I think instead of me chasing down mages from now on to give them Ballads, I am going to sit on my fat cream puff’ed ass and just wait for THEM to get to ME. -_-;  /sarcasm

Anyway, I wanted badly to get that rant off my chest. I will probably write something later on about my BLM exploits~

Here are my answeres to the questions posted on JP Button.

1. Do foreign players have a lot of interest in joining social Japanese Linkshells? (Especially ones with only JP members) I ask because when I recruit for my shell in Japanese, I get a lot of tells from foreigners looking to join. Personally, I feel like even if they could understand my /shout, it still would be hard to keep up with regular conversation. They wouldn’t understand pop-culture references to old TV shows, for instance.

I personally wouldn’t want to be in a JP only shell. The language barrier is too great to want to join a social shell in which I would be unable to understand most of what is going on.

2. Parties that cycle in replacement members seem to be popular amongst foreigners, but a lot of times the party will just disband once the replacement arrives. Of course, there are times when the replacement is contacted before they get all the way there, but there are many instances when no one says anything. There are also many cases where inappropriate jobs are invited and the party can no longer function well.

To me, this is a big reason behind some of the negative images Japanese players have about foreign players. What do you think about this?

I am kind of 50/50 on the whole replacement thing. There are benefits to this, such as continuing to be able to get exp without having to stop after a short time because someone needed to leave. On the other hand, I feel that sometimes it can be quite disrespectful to the replacement if the party abruptly decides to disband after they reach camp. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does happen it feels better to have just disbanded than to have sought someone to replace the person who has to leave.

3. Why does it seem like many foreign players don’t bother to bring medicines and potions to Missions and BCs? Many Japanese players make sure to have Vile Elixirs, Hi-Potions and/or Reraise Earrings.

Personally, I like carrying a lot more medicines on me than I really need. I like making sure my bases are covered just for the sake of making sure I’m prepared in case things start to get bad. Doing otherwise feels as though I am just playing half-assed, and despite not being the best at anything… the idea still really bugs me.

4. Sometimes I see foreign pick-up parties recruiting for members using Auto-Translate, but then when I join the party, all the conversation and battle planning is in English. I’ll ask for them to {Please use the Auto-Translate function.} but nobody ever does. If you are going to /shout for help with the Auto-Translator, why not use it in the party? It feels like I was tricked.

If I am in a party and this happens, I try to use the Auto-Translate for the person who is unable to understand. I can understand the frustrations of not knowing what is going on, since this has also happened to me when I was in a Japanese party and they would not tell me what was going on despite requesting several times to use Auto-Translate.

5. How many NA and EU players do Campaign? Any thoughts about the recent nerf to Fortifications?

I do not know how many NA/EU players do Campaign, but I know that the recent nerf to the Fortifications were really frustrating to some of the people I did know. I, myself, am not willing to spend time at Fortifications battles for little to no reward. I have and continue to do Campaign for Allied Notes and EXP, but not getting these as a reward for Fortification battles makes me less inclined to do Campaign.

6. What equipment do you think has great stats but horrible looks?
What equipment do you think has the best graphics?

Assault Jerkin would be great if it did not make my Tarutaru look like a giant walking Pumpkin. On the other hand, I think that BLU AF/Relic is really awesome because it really makes the player look mysterious and intimidating!

7. Outside of your normal party gear, is there any equipment that you go out of your way to get strictly for looks? What are your favorite pieces of casual equipment?

I have a Gala Corsage because it gives my Tarutaru a touch of feminity that is otherwise lacking with other hats she wears. I also leveled up BLU primarily because I wanted to wear the AF, lol. Otherwise I keep around many hats (beastmen, Adventurer Recruitment rewards, event, etc) to wear whenever I feel like it.

8. I’m a Mithra, and I find that a lot of foreigners seem to be into Mithra fashion. They examine me and ask where I got my equipment and such. Do you think male players enjoy dressing up their Mithra in cute outfits?

I think that both male and female players enjoy dressing their Mithra up in cute outfits. If I had a Mithra, I would dress mine up in cute outfits, too!

9. I wonder if you calculate the XP/hr of parties, and if so, do you think that Skillchain/Magic Burst or Weaponskill spam produces the best results? Before parsing became widespread, Japanese players used to think Skillchain/Magic Burst was the best.

I cannot really say since I had leveled BRD, and didn’t really pay attention to the damage (too busy supporting my party) and when I leveled BLU it was with other BLU, too. Right now, I just like skillchain/magic burst because it looks pretty!

10. How come it seems like so many people don’t utilize Search Comments properly? Why don’t they write their camp location for others to see? Also, it’s strange to see so many people seeking without basic information written like available jobs and where they can access. Don’t you want an invite?

When I seek, I usually write out all my basic information because I feel that information is important to the party leaders to know when putting together a party. So it really frustrates me when a.) other people don’t do it when I am putting together a party and b.) when the party leader does not read my search comment and asks me questions that should have already been answered.

11. If you know you are going to be busy, how come you don’t alert people at the beginning of the party instead of surprising everyone at the last minute?

If I know I am going to be busy, then I will give advance warning at the start. I do not like surprises, and I expect to be treated the same way. That doesn’t always happen, but I will continue to try.

12. Honestly, the largest difference in thinking between Japanse and foreign players exists in the Merit party. You often say 5 DDs and a RDM is so good, but having a single, solitary healer is hard on the RDM. Japanese realize that healers can be in short supply, so we make sacrifices to lighten their burden, like subbing a mage job, or using Utsusemi. I feel like many people don’t show proper respect to healers.

When we say JP ONLY, it isn’t always an issue of language, but the fact that we feel there are other dangers and demerits associated with a non-JP party, stemming from our different play-styles, that we wish to avoid.

This key difference in thinking, more than any race or language issue, is what really sets us apart as players. They are just looking to sit back, relax and earn some decent XP.

Please feel free to provide your own insight and thoughts.

I think that its not just a JP, NA, or EU thing; I think it is a matter of personal preference as a human being and not of people from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds.  Personally, I would rather not be in a party with 5 DDs and a healer. As a WHM and BRD, I just find that while it is fun and challenging at times, it is also just exhausting to do this many times. I often end up taking a nap from such parties because I become so worn out and tired! My thinking on parties is that they should be fun and relaxing, because there are other times and places to be focused on maximum output potential (i.e. end game events) and I don’t feel that exp or merit parties is one of them. Haha, which is probably why it took me so long to get BRD to 75…

☆ボーナスQuestion☆

Since tackling that last question would leave anyone tired and hungry, here’s one more question, just for fun:

「あなたの好きな寿司ネタは?」

What type of sushi do you like best?

The question asks what ネタ (ne-ta) you like, which is the term for what is placed on top of nigiri-style sushi rice. Sushi overseas is very different than in Japan in that more often than eating a slab of seafood on top a bed of rice, patrons can select for an extensive variety of rolls. When mentioning your favorite, it may help to list the ingredients as well!

I like Nigirizushi, Makizushi, and Inarizushi. Though my favorite is kappamaki… /blush

Most of this entry isn’t as much about my progress or frustrations in the game, as it is about some weird things I have been thinking about concerning the game. I have been doing a lot of writing and doodling about some of the things I have been writing for my personal enjoyment, and one thing I always found strange was just explaining how the hell armor and weapons are fit to size of a particular race or how weapons magically shrink and expand.

If you are a Taru and EVER wielded a great sword, you will kind of know what I am talking about. If you don’t but are a Taru, try this: equip a great sword and then engage in an enemy and see the size difference! I could equate it to something rather perverse, but I would rather not…

And what about the wyvern helm? One of the ingredients is for a wyvern skull that drops off of Hurricane Wyverns that, if I am not mistaken, are able to swallow a Taru in one gulp. So, how the heck can a Taru fit that thing on their head without being crushed by it? I already came up with an explanation for that, but I think I will be pelted by hardcore DRG lovers if I told them that maybe their pet could one day end up on the head of some large headed Taru melee trying to up their damage a little more than a toothpick stabbing into your foot (which actually hurts if you do it hard enough).

Anyway, I was going to write about BRD, BLM, and um… stuff… but… now I think I am going to be running away after seeing blood spurting out after watching Grey’s Anatomy (I don’t usually watch TV; I was just here with my laptop trying to write). Yes, I am squeamish. BLECH!